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Plus 4 dozen VFD tubes and a fancy GPS antenna modelled in Python #include
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Plus 4 dozen VFD tubes and a fancy GPS antenna modelled in Python [3602421454791242043.png] Wednesday, January 20, 2021 [Bring Your Geiger Counter to the Disco »]( #include To some they are pets, to hackers they are delightful entropy generators, and to all who share a household with a fabulous feline, cats are the creatures you fail to keep happy at your peril. To that end, there's a limitless number of hardware projects out there to feed, water, entertain, and even clean up after the cats in our lives. Good news: [now there's a list of cat-related projects for your browsing enjoyment](. [Flapping fish cat toy]( We were prompted to pull together this list after seeing [a project to reverse-engineer a fish-out-of-water toy](. It lies in wait until batted at by any curious kitty, at which point it violently wriggles to escape the claw. It's a bit too much for a timid cat so this one is getting a microcontroller transplant and smartphone support to bring a sense of calm to playtime. Whether you're trying to keep them quiet at night, let them regulate their own feeding schedule, or automate the laser dot, there's no limit to excuses to take on a build in the name of Cat. Highlights from the IO
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[Flying RC Paragliders]( Harnessing the best traits of fixed-wing and multi-rotor aircraft, these paragliders have an eye on collecting atmospheric information while descending from weather balloons. The airfoils are steerable, and a simple fan is a low-power (and low weight) way to boost maneuverability. Why aren't more of us building these just for fun?
[Modular Bench Supply and Soldering Station]( Everyone wants a tidy workbench; that's a project in itself so why not embrace it? The secret sauce here is a vented enclosure that can be 3D-printed as one piece (without supports). It's sized to accommodate common power supply and soldering iron controller modules. Now if we could just get our parts bins tidied up!
[Designing a GNSS Antenna]( Is there anything more hard-core than being able to say you spent the weekend simulating and building a GNSS/GPS antenna? This one's a quadrifilar helix antenna, which is a fancy way of saying four parts swirling around the center. Python helped optimize the design, with a NanoVNA used to verify the prototype works as expected. Hack Chat
LIVE CHAT WITH LEADING EXPERTS EVERY WEDNESDAY [Today: Movie Magic Hack Chat]( Alan McFarland will host [this week's Hack Chat](. Movies may be trending toward being completely CGI, but for now, a good practical effect can still really sell a scene. Alan has been working in the film industry for years, and you've seen his work in The Fifth Element, Tron: Legacy, and Star Trek: First Contact. Tune into the Hack Chat and learn from Alan what it takes to build a Borg from scratch. [Next Week: Six Months with the ESP32-S2 Hack Chat]( Adafruit will host [next week's Hack Chat](. Since we last had them on the Hack Chat in May, the gang over at Adafruit have been doing a lot of work on the ESP32-S2. To catch us up on everything they've learned, Limor, PT, Scott Shawcroft, Dan Halbert, and Jeff Epler will drop by the Hack Chat. Join us to see what they've learned and how we can leverage it for our projects. Featured Projects
POPULAR BITS [Dog leg assembly hints at the powerful quadruped to come](
[Clam shell computer puts a 6502 computer in your pocket]( [VFD dot graph tubes line up to scroll messages](
[Pick and place head has dual actuators and machine vision]( Live Events
MEETUPS, CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS [Hackaday Classes and Events]( Virtual | We can't get together in person right now, so we're takin' things online! Checkout [the calendar of Hackaday classes and events]( to log on and tune in to a packed schedule of hacker happenings. Hackaday.io Courses: [Hackaday.io Courses]( are now live. Keep an eye out for course releases on Hackaday's YouTube. Weekly LED Chat: After Hack Chat each Wednesday, join in on [a live chat all about creating Art with LEDs.]( If you have an event that should be added to the calender, send the details to superconference@hackaday.io. [twitter]( [facebook]( [instagram]( [Terms of Use]( [Privacy Policy]( [Hackaday.io]( [Hackaday.com]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}
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